• Uncategorized

    Good Ideas! Thanks, Tara!

    Hey! I received this chock-full-of-good-ideas email from another Tara (yes! Tar-Uh, NOT Tare-Uh) and I received her permission to share it with you. Hope it is a blessing to you too — (And yes, she is sending me the sermons on CD to listen to! Though I don’t plan on doing ten hours of ironing or anything.) Thanks, Tara! — Dear Tara, I first want to say how much I appreciate your heart for God and for having His peace reign in the lives of His people. Thank you so very much for your transparency and willingness to fear God instead of man (I’ve been reading the discussion board on…

  • Grace in Daily Life

    When We Are Falsely Accused and Misjudged

    How do you respond when you are falsely accused? Incredibly, astoundingly misjudged? Attacked. Belittled. Mocked. Shown no (absolutely NO!) grace. At all. How is it POSSIBLE to respond with grace and care and love and kindness and THE GOSPEL? (When what I REALLY “want” to do is argue. PROVE that this person is wrong. Very, very wrong. Point out how breathtakingly INACCURATE his unkind, unmerciful, and MEAN his words are. Show (with illustration after illustration) how really HE is the one with the problem. He is the one whose faith is immature and has no biblical substance opr wisdom or maturity AT ALL. How HE never (ever!) talks about his…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    A few thoughts on critical people …

    I know a woman who is extremely critical. EXTREMELY SO. But she doesn’t see it. If you were to ask her about her speech (as say, some hypothetical JD/MBA would have GENTLY done in the past), she would say that she is never (or at least RARELY) critical or negative. But if she were to listen to a recording of her typical conversations or read a transcript this is what she would find … – A plethora of information on other people that makes them look bad or points out their struggles, sins, or failures; – Many stories of how a certain person is unwise, foolish, or sinful; and –…

  • Uncategorized

    NEW Retreat

    OK. I’m on it. I’ve officially booked one of my fall events to be a brand-new women’s retreat. (eek!) Of course, it’s the same gospel. And our hearts? Well, is there anything new under the sun? But a lot of these women have already been to my “standard” retreat and heard me speak at other events. So I’m working on developing new material and new examples in a new format. Oh, and my editor at Baker even indicated a potential interest in a (SHORTER!) book for women on peacemaking. So who knows???   I think the restlessness in my own heart might be an OK (albeit uncomfortable) place to start…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    A real, live miracle!

    So even my “RATIONALIST HUMANIST” sister (who is also my dearest friend and one of the most loving and merciful people I have EVER met!!) had to use the word MIRACLE to describe my father’s survival. Me too. Hope you enjoy the pics! Sending you love,  Tara B.  

  • Hope in Suffering

    Facing death … final words …

    Thanks for all of the prayers and encouraging emails concerning my dad. He continues to remain in a medically-induced coma, but occasionally they bring him to consciousness for a few moments. When they do so, the nurses say he is a “bear” … angry, trying to yank the tube out, etc. The nurses say this is actually a good thing because it means that he wants us to know he is “still in there” and he is “fighting.” I’m still wondering about trying to go and see him … I keep thinking about whether he might actually be open to hearing the gospel now. That maybe, with death facing him…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Thoughts on hosting 23-year-olds …

    This past weekend, my dear friend’s daughter was married. It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend and I was thrilled just to be invited to attend. But then our family received a double blessing! We were asked to host some of the friends of the bride and groom. What a blast! AND a gentle rebuke too … You see, I just LOVED being around these young people. SO idealistic. SO hopeful. Married for maybe one or two years. Still excited about life, the Lord, their spouses. Working hard. Studying hard. Wondering where the Lord will lead them. Enthusiastic. Energetic. So NOT jaded. So NOT cynical. So amazingly HAPPY. I thoroughly enjoyed…

  • Uncategorized

    Oh no!!

    Hi friends! Just a note to say OH NO! My internet access is on the fritz–that’s why I haven’t been able to post for awhile. (It took me like a half an hour to post this! 🙂 I don’t have that kind of time.) I’m hoping it will be fixed soon — In the interim … Patricia L. from Philadelphia, PLEASE email me (tara at tarabarthel.com) your snail-mail address. My gift/prize for you joining my FrapprMap (mailed March 9) was just returned to me for an “undeliverable address.” Eek. Snail-mail messed up. Email on the fritz.  Guess I’ll go read a book or something. 🙂 !! Thinking of you all…